One day in Cairo

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Tues 20th

An early start this morning. We got up at 5 am as the coach picked us up to go to the airport at six. We had a very quick check in, then a short wait, but then we were off!

It’s only a fifty minute flight from Pafos to Cairo, just time for a quick coffee and roll before the descent started. Lynda was lucky enough to have a window seat and we all craned our necks to watch as the world came back into focus. Cairo seemed to only consist of sand!

We landed, taxied to our parking place and we got out. I realised that we were somewhere completely different to anything I had experienced immediately. The air seemed to contain dusty sand; it also had a dryness about it that is hard to put into words. I read the expression somewhere of “dry desert air” and that sums it up really. Then there were the guns. I have never seen so many guns. Everywhere was guarded by men who looked like the meant business, with automatic guns strapped over their chests. We were told that it was for our own safety - and I have no doubt that it was - but it’s bit unnerving when you come from a country with un-armed police.

However we came into the arrivals hall looking all around us at the Arabic writing and so on. It really felt very exotic. It became positively exciting when we got to the final check before entry into Egypt as a man there refused us entry without us all producing our passports again. As we had left them, as we were required to do, at another desk this was impossible and led to a few moments delay and a heated argument in Arabic with our tour guide, before he shouted across the hall for this guy’s boss. Needless to say we were allowed to proceed.

A long line of us were guided to the coaches that were waiting, again, lots of guns were evident as the security guards sort of milled around. Eventually one got onto our bus and sat in the front seat. He looked bored - I looked nervous as we were only one seat behind him! Our tour guide, Deena, came on board next and she proved to be delightful. Her knowledge was superb and her English flawless. She put us at ease as we set off into the maelstrom of Cairo.

Cairo is vast, and has to be seen to be believed! I didn’t realise, but it has a population of some 20 million and it seemed that they had all turned out to meet us! The traffic, at first just pretty heavy, became by stages intense, then suicidal! I have never seen such battered taxis (the ones in NYC look positively pristine by comparison) and when six or seven lanes of traffic converge into one - well you can imagine the results. The one essential for driving in Cairo is a loud horn, pressed almost continuously. Brakes are an advantage, but as nobody ever stops (considered sign of weakness) they aren’t essential. I never did find out the speed limit, but it’s purely academic anyway, it’s just as fast as you can go. Add to this general mayhem pedestrians idly strolling between speeding traffic and you’ll have some idea of what it’s like. Actually - you won’t, because I can’t describe it. It is absolute chaos! I’m a driver, I have pretty steady nerves and not much fazes me in the normal course of events, but I couldn’t believe my eyes. Eventually we pulled up in front of the Museum of Antiquities.

Taking photographs inside is strictly forbidden, so again I’ll have to try to give a word picture. We saw so many wonderful things in here that this section could take over this whole piece. I won’t let it, but I’ll only be able to skirt around most of the exhibits, as indeed we were only able to ourselves.

The first major exhibit we saw was a statue of a Pharaoh. No one is sure which one, but the statue is seated and dates to around 5000 years ago. It’s incredible. Every detail of his body is beautifully sculpted. He sits there, impassive to the turning centuries, one hand in a clenched fist to signify he controlled upper and lower Egypt, the other laid flat along his thigh signifying there was peace throughout the land. It’s all done in a black material with green veins running through it. It just is amazing to think of its age. Apparently this rock is so hard that the sculpting would have had to be done using diamonds. It is just magnificent.

Unfortunately time waits for no one and we had to make our way quickly - too quickly - in order to see everything we needed to, and the get to the main exhibit The Tutankhamen Room. On the way there we saw so many wonderful things, the oldest papyrus in the world (2300 years old), several sarcophagi (what is the plural for sarcophagus?), some amazing wall paintings and of course some hieroglyphics too. I was pretty sure I could understand some of them - they reminded me of my handwriting.

Then we came to Tutankhamens room. First there is a sort of anti room where the chariots and so on that were found in his tomb are. These are beautiful, made of gold and decorated with various scenes from his youth. You make your way slowly through these wonderful exhibits toward the “holy of holies” His golden death mask room. I have seen photos of his golden mask, so have you almost certainly, but nothing you have seen prepares you for the actual sight of it.

There are times when words really aren’t enough, this is one of them. It just sits there gazing out at you impassively. In a way it’s sort of humbling. It said to me that it was here thousands of years before me and would be here long after I am dead. To others, I’m sure it says something else. It is a thing of beauty, without a doubt, but it also conveys something else too. Something almost mystical. I can’t explain it, but everyone became silent as they looked at it, and I can well understand how it must have felt to have one so young have absolute power of life or death over you. It’s really quite sobering. People chatted around the other exhibits, but not this one. Here there was just - well - awe is probably the best word for it. It is gold. Every detail of the young kings face is visible. He seems to be wearing a slightly sardonic smile, maybe mocking those who worshipped him, after all he was little more than a child when he died.

It really was an amazing sight, and the highlight of our visit to the museum, but there was one more place to visit, the Mummy Room. It was here that we came face to face with the most powerful people on Earth, in their day. Rameses 11, the most powerful Pharaoh of all time was here and we could actually see his face. He had grey hair. I know it’s hard to imagine, but the remains have been so well preserved for so long that you can actually see the tufts of his hair along with the fingernails and his face. I wouldn’t like to say that it would be recognisable in life, but it’s hard to think of it being as old as it is. I wonder what he would think to thousands of people filing past his mummy every day. Maybe he would appreciate it, maybe he’d have had us all put to death, who can say.

Now though, the Pyramids beckoned and we had to leave. First there was a lunch stop. This was great as it was a 5 star hotel within sight of the Pyramids themselves. Lunch was buffet style again and plentiful, delicious and rushed as everyone wanted to get to the Pyramids.

We all piled back onto the bus again I and watched with a mixture of admiration and fear as the driver tackled getting out of the hotel car park. There was a traffic roundabout outside, traffic circulating in a clockwise direction. Our driver (bless him!) simply short circuited the whole system by going the wrong way round amid blaring horns and so on before driving straight across some oncoming traffic and turning sharp left to the Pyramid site. What a guy ! I was lost in admiration.

Everyone has seen the Pyramids, right? Wrong! You may have seen pictures, you may have met people who have seen them, but until you see them for yourself, you simply can’t imagine them. They are vast! I mean huge. The largest one remained the tallest man made structure in the world for nearly 4000 years (until the Eiffel tower was built) which certainly makes you stop and think!

I’m not going to go on about how many cubic yards of stone and so on go to make up the Pyramids, but I can’t imaging anyone having an ego big enough to warrant building them. And to be truthful, no one really knows how it was done. Any one of them would be a huge civil engineering project today, how on earth it was achieved 4000 years ago is beyond me. So we wandered around for a while, just drinking in the sights, the sun and the guys trying to get us onto their camels. One offered to buy Marg for “2000 camels”, I told him that 1000 would be enough, but he either didn’t understand or he didn’t have the camels!
We all became a little fed up of people coming and trying to sell us stuff, take our photo or put us up on their camels. Then I started to feel a little guilty when a little child came to us offering to sell us postcards “30 cards for 1 Cypriot pound”. I thought of what we had just eaten, how we had been full of food, and travelled half way around the world more or less on a whim and this little child was going to be hungry tonight. I wanted to buy from him, and I nearly did, but I’m afraid that if I had done then I would have been surrounded by others wanting me to do the same. Its not much of an excuse, and these people are only trying to earn a living, but it was for the best I’m told. Right or wrong, I can’t alter the way things are. But I wish I could.

Back on the bus and drove for the couple of hundred yards for the photo stop with the (legit) guy with a camel. Marg was off the bus first and he grabbed her. The camel was sort of laid down and Marg got astride him pretty easily, thinking that this would be the photo call, but no. Having got herself more or less installed on it’s back the man just said “hold tight” and urged the camel to its feet. I don’t know if you have ever seen a camel rise, but they always stand up from the back, which if you’re not careful will pitch you straight over it’s head. I’ve been married to Marg for a long time, but I’ve never heard her scream so loud! Of course the rest of the bus was watching and everyone - especially me - was hooting with laughter. My only regret is not having the video rolling, I could have dined out on that footage for life!

Then it was back on the bus and down the hill to the Sphinx. Its so hard to describe these things without becoming repetitive. The Sphinx is the oldest statue in the world - by far. Its also still the lmosy massive statue ever built, not the tallest of course, but containing the most amount of stone. And yet even so it’s pretty well dwarfed but the looming mass of the Pyramid in the distance. Unfortunately by now it was getting to be mid afternoon and the sun was in the wrong quarter. I did get the photo of the Sphinx with the pyramid behind it, but you really need to be there in the morning to get the sunlight on it. Nevertheless it’s a most incredible sight. Another thought that has just occurred to me is the all these tributes to Pharaohs were ancient monuments when Jesus walked this world. What a thought.

Then it was back on the bus, into the chaos again, this time bound for our cruise on the Nile. Our driver, who by now I had mentally christened Schumacher, drove like fury to the banks of the river, then with complete abandon and amid shrieking brakes steered us across two fast moving lanes of traffic and into the coach park. By now I was almost wishing I had a back seat, I mean, this guy is either a driving genius or a complete maniac! I wouldn’t mind quite so much but he does everything with a really charming smile. I don’t think I heard him speak once, but he never stopped smiling.

Again we got off the bus and looked at our cruiser. It was huge, as indeed the Nile is huge too. It’s the worlds longest river, extending more than 4000 miles. Its also one of the few that flow south to north. Here at Cairo, its probably at it’s widest, just before the delta and it really is most impressive.

As we walked toward the boat a “band” struck up. Actually band is much too good a word for this group of people who hit every wrong note you could imagine in all the right order

In no time we were on the boat and cast off. The meal was served and the entertainment started. By now dusk was falling and as the skies darkened the lights of Cairo came on. While not in the Las Vegas class, they are fairly impressive, enough for Lynda and I to on deck and try to get some photos anyway.
The high spot of the evening, for me at any rate, came with the belly dancer. She was really rather lovely and danced like there wasn’t a bone in her body. She also came around the tables and danced so the photographer could get pictures to sell later. I was fortunate, Ian was sat opposite me and she danced around him - literally! It was almost one boob around his left ear and the other around his right. I wish I’d been quicker with the camera! I have to say ,though, that to see a proper belly dance done by a beautiful girl is quite an experience. I loved it.

And so to the last stop of the day. The bazaar. Street markets always have their charm for me. Even in England I quite like them, as long as there is room to move and they aren’t like the effort we have in York. This one was totally unique in my experience. It’s quite a small area, really just a couple of streets, and you’re shoved and jostled around. Stall keepers shout about their attractions. You can buy anything here. I saw a spice shop, some really lovely brassware, silver, gold, cloth and all for sale at just a few of any hard currency. Pounds sterling or Cypriot, Dollars American (especially) or Canadian or Euros, it didn’t matter. No one seems to use the local currency, in fact I ‘m not even sure what it's called

Well we bartered and haggled our way through this “Bizarre Bazaar”, as Marg had christened it, but we didn’t buy anything. Ian and I got several offers for our wives, but in spite of accepting many, she’s still here! Actually I stopped one man in his tracks when he said, looking at Marg, “You are a lucky man”. I simply said “I know” - I am too.

Finally it was back to the airport. Schumacher really hit the highs spots on this road as it was an urban motorway. I aren’t sure exactly how fast we were going, but the speedo needle was bouncing off the stop, and we were still being passed at high speed by other Egyptian drivers who, to save their batteries, drove without lights !

We’ve talked about Cairo more or less ever since. Its one of those places where you can only get a sample of even in an extended visit. One thing is for sure, if we ever do go back we sure as hell won’t be hiring a car!

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Photos

Landing at Cairo
Cairo seemed to cosist mainly of sand

The Museum of Antiquities
An absolute treasure trove of themost wonderful artifacts, including Tutankhamuns death mask

The Pyramids
The ultimate ehgo trip!

At the base of the Pyramid
Ian and Lynda giving you an idea of how big the stones are

Marg and her camel
I don't know which one is screaming loudest!

The Sphynx and the Pyramid of Cheops
Taken pretty much against the sun, but it was the best I could do

In the Bizarre Bazaar
Some of the goods were amazing

In the Bizarre Bazaar
It never stops, this happens all day every day